Day: November 26, 2021

Prologue

It is said, “Where evil rages, hope prevails.” This is not about evil for hope shall find a way …

He watched as the dark shadows swirled across the room. A wind, as strong as a summer tornado, spun and yet moved nothing. Dante hid in the shadows and the sound of squalls raged through his ears. He inched his way toward the massive windows and darted behind the heavy drapery. His heart raced and he gasped when shards of light flashed through the room and threatened his reality. When a lightning bolt shattered, he winced and stepped deeper into the folds of the fabric. Standing in the middle of the study, a boy held tightly to a girl in his arms. Dante wanted to help them but how? The evil man’s robe glimmered with each wave of his arm. Dante watched in horror as the man threw the sheets of paper onto the floor. His long, golden fingernails glowed in the dim light. As the pages floated, each piece crawled toward the couple as if alive. Awkward sounds filled Dante’s ears as ghost-like buildings hovered through the air as if they were nothing more than a whisp of smoke. Now, a medieval scene flashed before his eyes, and the curtains vibrated in his hands. A flicker of an olive tree and then a farmhouse and then a vineyard … are those sheep? Dante tried to inch closer but his feet refused to move. He was glued in place behind the drapes. The ghostly objects disappeared into the paper and he trembled in terror. The shadows formed into a miniature print, each arranging itself according to the direction of the evil man. The man was painting a distressing scene through the movements of his symphonic hands. The wizard swiped along the floor and the girl was jerked into the air. She hovered for only a moment before spinning as easily as a spinning wheel. Then as if no friction ever existed, the girl screamed and the wind sucked her into the cloth paper … the girl was gone…